The Price He Paid — page 26: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A DARK SPOT, 17 “Separation? Parting? Why, we shall see each other again in a month.” } “Inamonth! Does that seem to you so short a time?” Gabrielle laughed. “It is just four times seven days. You must man- age to live through them in some way; but after that we shall be coming to R—— ourselves, you know. You have a great deal to do with my guar- dian, have you not?” “With Baron von Raven? Certainly. I work in his bureaus, aS you are aware, and have to make reports to him from time to time.” “I hardly know him,” said Gabrielle, indifferently. “T have just seen him now and again when he has © come on a short visit to the capital, and that is all. The last time was three years ago. On that occa- sion his excellency hardly deigned to notice me— treated me, in fact, exactly like a child, though I was then quite fourteen. You may imagine that I was in no way delighted at the prospect of living under his roof for the future, until”—here she smiled roguishly—*“ until I made the acquaintance of a certain George Winterfeld, and heard from him that he had the privilege of being one of my guar- dian’s secretaries. ” A strange look flitted across George’s features, a look which seemed to say he was of a different opinion as to the “ privilege.” “You deceive yourself if you build any hopes on that circumstance,” he replied, gravely. “The inter- course I hold with the baron is purely official in its nature; and he well knows how to restrict it within the narrowest possible limits. In ail else I stand wide as the poles apart from him. A young, mid- dle-class man, holding as yet only a subordinate government appointment, does not find admittance to the governor’s circles, and can hardly venture to claim acquaintance with the Baroness von Harder. There will be distance enough between us, even though I come daily to the house in which you dwell. Herein this holiday freedom we have had the chance of learning to know, to love each other.” | Gomicbooks €o